A blank cheque for disbursing payment on behalf of federal agencies in the US. China is a major investor of US Treasury securities. According to official figures for May, China held up to US$1.2 trillion dollars in US Treasury debt, accounting for close to 20 per cent of all foreign holdings of US Treasuries. Photo: AP

Opinion

Opinion

Macroscope by David Brown

Should China play hardball in the trade war with Trump and start targeting US Treasuries?

David Brown says the US should be wary of what China chooses to do with its US$1.2 trillion dollars in Treasury securities. Based on the impact of Russia dumping its much smaller holdings earlier this year, a similar move by Beijing could play havoc with the American economy

A blank cheque for disbursing payment on behalf of federal agencies in the US. China is a major investor of US Treasury securities. According to official figures for May, China held up to US$1.2 trillion dollars in US Treasury debt, accounting for close to 20 per cent of all foreign holdings of US Treasuries. Photo: AP